I want everybody to stop drinking soda, including the diet variety, and a new study gives me yet another reason to encourage you to do so.

According to Harvard’s Nurses Health Study, women who consumed 2 or more servings of diet soda daily were twice as likely to experience a reduction in kidney function.   (American Society of Nephrology, Nov 2009)  Past studies have linked diet soda to weight gain, metabolic syndrome, loss of tooth enamel, and osteoporosis. Diet soda has zero nutritionally redeeming value, cost you money and may even make you sick. You can get the same caffeine kick from freshly brewed, unsweetened tea which can decrease your risk of heart disease, boost your immunity, reduce your stress, kick up your metabolism and likely decrease your risk of cancer all for zero calories. Make the switch to tea! To take the guess work of out grocery shopping, use one of Dr. Ann’s Healthy Grocery Lists.